Stop Making This Mistake Every Time You Open an Avocado!

If, like all the social media foodies, your meals must include an avocado, the following should interest you. Don’t worry, we’re not going to lecture you about its environmental footprint – yes, it’s significant – or its calorie content – 160 kcal per half-fruit, which is certainly not the lightest option at the market. However, it has other merits to offer. Its energy value is mainly justified by its richness in good fats, predominantly monounsaturated fats, which are actually good for our arteries. Plus, it delights our taste buds with its unmatched creaminess – assuming you don’t end up with a stringy one, of course.

Beyond guacamole and poke bowls, our avocado dips into all sorts of “delicious” dishes. Whether it’s accompanying shrimp in a glass during cocktail parties, blossoming into roses on avocado toasts, cleverly substituting butter in healthy chocolate fondants, or warmly enclosing a cocotte egg in its central pit when ramekins are missing. In summer, it even competes with sausages on the barbecue grill, just long enough for its green flesh to get those appealing black grill marks – showing off its little rock’n’roll side.

But before you start cooking, it’s crucial to open it the right way. One might hastily think it’s simple: just take a knife, aim (roughly) at the center, and split it in two around the pit. Yet, in our eagerness, we often skip a vital step. Which one? In her Instagram post, virologist Océane Sorel humorously reminds us: an avocado needs to be washed! Even though we don’t eat the skin.

Upon reflection, the reasoning is quite straightforward: as the knife blade first cuts through the skin (which can be dirty), it can inadvertently transfer bacteria into the flesh and contaminate it. This rule, of course, applies to “all fruits and vegetables that we cut or peel,” the scientist warns. It’s better to give your avocado a quick rinse before giving it a chop.

A simple step? Perhaps. But a smart habit to prevent ruining its creamy delight with some unwanted bacteria. After all, this fruit hasn’t stolen its iconic status: it takes care of our arteries, enhances our dishes, and adds a touch of fun even to our barbecues. So, it deserves all the respect we can give, right? So, grab your avocados – and this time, make sure they’re clean as a whistle!